In 2025, fire departments serving Mackinaw responded to 57 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 58% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
216 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $107K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 60 | — | |
| 2022 | 33 | -45.0% | |
| 2023 | 30 | -9.1% | |
| 2024 | 36 | +20.0% | |
| 2025 | 57 | +58.3% |
For the 12 building fires Mackinaw departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 44 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 43.2% | |
| 2 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 6.8% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Mackinaw mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 61.4% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mackinaw departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mackinaw sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,924 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 375 | 28.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 250 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 110 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 27.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 51 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 22.1 mi |
Top 2 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Illinois cities with population within ±25% of Mackinaw. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.